WHAT ARE WE DOING?

1 December, 2011

Senior CN Official Trains Public Officials on Communication Strategy Planning

Participants join communication game

With support from USAID, Cambodian News Managing Director Mr Chhay Sophal conducted a 1-day training course on “Communication Strategy Planning” on 1 December, 2011 for 25 officials from agricultural departments nationwide. The training focused on how to have successful communication and be ready for communication crisis and how to effectively respond. The training was organized at Cambodianna hotel by Equal Access.

29 November, 2011
Senior CN Official Trains Communication Strategy Planning

Participants from pig and fish associations nationwide

With support from USAID, Cambodian News Managing Director Mr Chhay Sophal conducted a 2-day training course on “Communication Strategy Planning” on 29-30 November, 2011 for 25 representatives from pig and fish associations nationwide. The training focused on how to have successful communication and be ready for communication crisis and how to deal with it. The training was organized at Cambodianna hotel by Equal Access.

23 November, 2011
CN Trains Company Staff on News Writing

Senior official of Cambodia News conducted a 2-day training course on “News Writing” for 11 Social News website on 23-24 November, 2011 at its office in Phnom Penh.

The course focused on Hot News Writing, Features Writing, Opinion Writing, Media Law and Ethics, News Photos, Copy Editing, Publishing Standard.

17 November, 2011

CN Trains Fishers on Communications and Advocacy

Group discussion on the tool of communication & Advocacy

With financial support from Forum Syd and in cooperation with the Fisheries Action Coalition Team (FACT), senior official of Cambodia News conducted a 2-day training course with a topic of “Effective Work with Media, Access to Information and Advocacy” on 17 – 18 November, 2011.

The training was made in Siem Reap municipality for 22 Cambodian Fishery Community and FACT members from both freshwater-fishing and island-fishing regions.

-       Additionally understand of access to information and information providing;

-       Be aware of the important role of the media and effective work/ communication with the media;

-       Cooperate with the media so that the media can help outreach Cambodian Fishery Community’s work to the public for positive interests of the fishery communities;

-       Adequately enable to provide information for effective outreaching; and

-       The tools of communications and advocacy.

24 October - 8 November, 2011

CN Trains Staff of National Audit Authority
With support from GIZ, Cambodia News (CN), conducted a training course on "Writing News Reports and Role of Information Officers" for 8 officials of the National Audit Authority (NAA) and one GIZ programme staff member.

Participants of both NAA and GIZ staff at the training.

The 35- hour training focused on:

          -  Writing on short news articles for the NAA website; 
          - Introduction to writing feature stories, opinion articles, and letters to editor;

          - Updating information on NAA Website for viewers;

          - Writing media advisory and media release;

          - Organising media event;

          - Effective work with media;

          - Strength of general communications of information officers;
    - Publishing standard;

          - Introduction to media law and ethics to avoid public complaint and lawsuit; and
    - Copy editing

The National Audit Authority (NAA) of the Kingdom of Cambodia was established in 2001 following the promulgation of the Law on Audit of the Kingdom of Cambodia by Royal Kram CS/RKM/0300/10 dated March 03, 2000 and started its operations in 2002. NAA is the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of Cambodia, a member of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) and the Asian Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI).

One main objective of NAA Strategic Development Plan is to promote awareness of the NAA's roles and responsibilities concerning advancement of accountability, transparency and governance to stakeholders and to strengthen cooperation with audited entities. Regular dissemination of the NAA's roles and responsibilities and the NAA's presence in the public and media is a good approach to enable the public to be informed of how and what the NAA is operating.

That is why the course really crucial for NAA staff working on information and communications and CN is really proud of conducting such important course.

21 October 2011

CN Trains 25 Provincial Journalists

Mr. Chhay Sophal (left), Cambodia News Director,
speaks at the closing training course on 20 October 2011.
Mr. Santosh KHATRI (middle), UNESCO Education
Programme Specialist

With support from MDG-F Joint Programme and UNESCO and in cooperation with CCJ, Cambodia News (CN) organised a  four-day training course on “News Reporting on Food Security and Nutrition” for 25 provincial journalists from print, broadcast and online media. The training on 17-20 October, 2011is conducted while about 1.2 million people have been affected by the recent flood and they might challenge with food security and nutrition (FSN) in the short future.

The training aims at raising awareness of FSN problems and challenges in Cambodia among provincial media people; letting them link as a network so that they can share experiences, knowledge, lessons learnt and best practices on the issue to each other and their audiences; and encouraging them as the powerful voice to report more on the issue for safe and better life of villagers, especially parents and children, in short and lasting impacts for the future.

30 July, 2011 

Cambodia News Trains FHI NGO Partners’ staff  on  Media and Effective Communications

FHI Associated Director Steve Penfold hold up
SMARTgirl magazines at the opening training course

With support from Family Health International (FHI), Cambodia News conducted a five-day training course on “Media Writing Skills and Effective Work with Media” at FHI office in Phnom Penh on 25-29 July, 2011 for 13 participants.

The course needs the participants to l:

      - Gain their capacity of information gathering and news (hot news and feature) writing on reproductive health, HIV and AIDS and other related issues among target groups of entertainment workers and men who have sex with men;

      -  Generally understand of opinion and news writing;

-    Be generally aware of media ethics, media law, and other laws related to the written topics in order to avoid complaint & lawsuit, especially laws related to HIV and AIDS;

-    Generally understand of what news photos related to privacy invasion;

-    Broader understand of news sources, effective work with them, and news source protection;

-    Have strong communication tools; and

-    Have effective work with the media.

The course is really crucial to build capacity of workers and volunteers of FHI’s NGO partners working in both Phnom Penh and provinces where HIV and AIDS are still concerned while the rights of the most at risk groups like entertainment workers, men who have sex with men, and drug users are also violated.  The course provided the participants idea to make their better magazines in raising awareness on reproductive health, HIV and AIDS and other related issues among their target audiences.

Class session

Group photo after training

17 July, 2011 

Cambodia News Trains Forum Syd NGO Partners’ staff on Media and Effective Communications

With support from Forum Syd, Cambodia News conducted a three-day training course on “Media Writing Skills and Effective Work with Media” in Ratanakirri province, northeastern country, on 12-14 July, 2011 for 17 participants from 8 NGO partners, especially for those who are working on media, communication and advocacy.
The course needs that by the end of the course, the participants will:

• Broadly understand and be able to develop media tool and strategic planning for effective communication and advocacy framework;
• Be aware of media writing skills – both hot news and feature, case study, and opinion writing for communication and advocacy work;
• Be able to develop some media materials and Press Release; and  
• Be able to  organize Press Briefing, Press Conference, and other media event. 

The course is really crucial to build capacity of Forum Syd’s NGO partners working in some cities and provinces where human rights, democracy, and the rights of the rural poor are still narrow while their working with media is also still limited. The course also provided the participants some idea to do something for their better region and it generates thinking on human right, justice, and local development. 
Various methodologies are employed for the course by lecture, including both individual and group works & presentations, critical reflections and participatory manner. It is informal development mal, reflective and design active learning by doing.

Speaking in his welcoming remarks, Forum Syd Communication and Advocacy Adviser Mr. Bin Socheat said the three-day training on “Media Writing Skills and Effective Work with Media” is a very important as it is organized and designed to enhance media writing and effective work with media for Forum Syd’s NGO partners. After the course, he said, the participants would be aware of how to develop their media strategy and planning to seek advocacy from the public, especially from media in their respective target areas.  “The course is conducted based on the request from partners and the assessment of Forum Syd on their specific needs and using the tools from the course or not is also based on the respective partners,” he said. 

11 July, 2011

CN trains "Investigative Reports" for provincial-based journalists
With support from PACT Cambodia, Cambodia News conducted 5-day training on “Investigative Reporting” in Battambang province on 04-08 July, 2011. The course aims at building the ground by starting with an introduction to investigative reporting related to Good Governance, Anti-Corruption and decentralisation and deconcentration (D&D) to 12 working journalists.

After this course, the participants are expected to improve their skills and techniques on how to investigate an irregular issue or something hidden affecting the public, especially good governance, anti-corruption, and D&D, including local democracy and justice.

The participants then were clearly aware of what investigative reporting and how it is important for reporting and what type of information that can be investigated for better change, quality of people’s life, and development.

Based on the objectives in the agreement, the course needs that by the end of the course, the participants will be able to:

• Know what topics should be discovered;
• Make a story planning and how to build concrete evidence(s) and strong hypothesis for a story;
• Talk to difficult to people for information gathering;
• Broader understand about news sources, effective work with them, and news protection;
• Be generally aware of media ethics, media law, and other laws related to the written topics in order to avoid complaint & lawsuit related to libel or defamation, privacy invasion, incitement, public unrest, and national insecurity provocation stated in the “Press Law” and “Penal Code”, including the Constitution , and other laws related to the topics.

The course is really crucial to build capacity of investigative reporting providing to provincial journalists who should do something for their better region and it generates thinking or story idea of the participants to create suspects on  irregularity, injustice, irresponsibility, and mismanagement (corruption, unaccountability without transparency,..) in their province.   

Various methodologies are employed for the course by lecture, including both individual and group works & presentations, critical reflections and participatory manner. It is informal, reflective and design active learning by doing.

12 May, 2011

Training Staff of Senate and National Assembly

With support from Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Phnom Penh, Mr. Chhay Sophal on 4 May, 2011 conducted a training course on “Powerful Report Writing and Public Speaking & Wining Presentation Skill” to staff of the both senate and national assembly of Cambodia.
The 7-morning training (4-7 and 9-12 May) nad focused on:

-  Writing on short news articles; 

- Introduction to writing feature stories, opinion articles, and letters to editor;

Mr Chhay Sophal trains staff members of Cambodia's senate
and national assembly

- Updating information on NAA Website for viewers;

- Writing media advisory and media release; 

      -  Writing speech;

-         -  Orgnising media event;
-  Effective work with media;

- Strength of general communications of information officers;

-  Public speaking

-  Skill of presentation in  seminars/ meetings (Making interesting slides PowerPoint)
- Publishing standard;

- Introduction to media law and ethics to avoid public complaint and lawsuit; and
- Copy editing

From right: Mr. Mom Saroeun, KAF programme officer,
H.E Leng Peng Long, Secretary General of the National Assembly,
and Mr. Chhay Sophal at the closing training course

Group photo after the training coursedd caption

2009-2011

CN gets USAID's 2-year small grant for raising awareness of HIV/AIDS and drug

With small grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through Cambodia-based KHANA, Cambodia News produces stories and post on leading local newspapers and magazine. The two-year grant (September 2009 - September, 2011) is to focus on news stories, mostly features, linked to the groups of:

·         People living with HIV (PLHA)

·         Men who have Sex with Men (MSM)

·         Entertainment Workers (EW)

·         Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC)

·         Drug Users and Injecting Drug Users (DU/IDU)

·         Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, and Transgender (GLBT people)

Cambodia News is responsible for researching, documenting, writing news stories and printed them in local newspapers and a magazine. The contents of the articles produced by Cambodia News do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

22 October, 2010

Cambodia News Organizational Structure

H.E Khieu Kanharith, Cambodian Government Spokesperson and Information Minister, visits our class

From right, Spokesperson and Information Minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia His Excellency Khieu Kanharith, Cambodia News Director Chhay Sophal and Mr. Pen Bona, one of the Cambodia News Advisory Committee Members. During his visit in our class, His Excellency Kanharith expresses his appreciation and spiritual support saying that it is the best move that Cambodia News in collaboration with its networks establishes such professional training center for the general public. He encurages us to conduct more training courses to help improve human resource in the fields of "Media and Communications".